This will be a short, quick entry. . .I think.
First of all, for those of you who have heard that I was in a car accident last night — thanks for your notes. I am ok. For those of you who did not know, I was hit by a car last night while walking in a crosswalk shortly after I filed this article with The Australian. It focuses on the Wilkerson speech and Scowcroft commentary and their collective impact on neoconservative ambitions.
The driver was a decent guy — and didn’t mean to do it — but still, I had to spend about five and half hours at George Washington Hospital trying to get a CAT scan (however that is spelled) and make sure that my bones are intact. They are, but I’m sore.
Ok. . .on last night’s post. I think that everything I wrote still stands. Fitzgerald convened and adjourned the grand jury today. Fitzgerald met the judge.
According to my sources, the letters to “indictment targets” were received yesterday. According to my legal sources, the standard practice would be for the grand jury to send indictment requests via the judge — and these would be “filed” today. I have no idea how transparent that process is — but I was told that the indictments are sealed.
I had also been told — and reported yesterday — that Fitzgerald would not call a press conference today, but that he would call one tomorrow. I have not spoken to my sources to learn whether this has changed — but I was informed that the press conference would be called tomorrow, Thursday. There are rumors now flying that the press conference may be Friday — but I have not spoken to any source about that.
The one interesting tidbit that came my way by way of an unnamed senior American journalist is this:
My sense is that the Rove team is feeling more confident today, the Libby team despondent
This is quite fascinating — and could mean nothing. . .or everything. If Rove did not receive a letter yesterday and Libby did — then Rove may have missed a bullet.
Alternative, Rove may be cited for lying to an FBI officer and not with full-fledged perjury and obstruction of justice, which many think Libby will be facing.
I have no other information on the number of individuals to be indicted, and can’t offer substantiation of any kind for the nuanced comment above — but I share it because it’s intriguing and may mean that the VP’s office is going to carry the heavy load of responsibility for the Plame affair. Karl may survive — but still not sure.
On other fronts, Maureen Dowd tied the prospect of Fitzgerald indictments to the Scowcroft and Wilkerson revelations this week in an New York Times piece today.
I also did a lot of interviews today, one of which included a session that included Col. Lawrence Wilkerson as a guest as well on Warren Olney’s “To the Point.”
Lastly, before I go take some more pain killers for my back pain, the hip crowd will be interested to know that Lawrence Wilkerson’s talk at New America will be used, clips anyway, on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central.
Amidst all this tragedy, confusion, and scandal — a little levity may be helpful. . .just a little.
— Steve Clemons
